The present invention relates to an automatic photographic processor apparatus for automatically producing a set of photographic prints, e.g. identification photos or self-portraits, in a short period of time when a human object or client has shot or taken an image of himself or herself, a paper feeder device, an outdoor installation booth and an object image capturing mechanism mounted in the automatic photographic processor apparatus, and to an identification photograph strip with cutline markings.
Automatic photographic processor apparatuses installed in their respective booths are generally located in stations and other public places for producing a set of photographic prints, e.g. identification photos or self-portraits, in 1 to 3 minutes after a client takes an image of himself.
Such an automatic photographic processor apparatus located in a station allows a client to take an image of himself by following steps of a shooting procedure explained in an instruction in a booth and then starts operating a printing paper feeder device for conveying a tape of printing paper to a printing stage. A predetermined number of images of an upper half of the client are automatically printed on the printing paper which is then subjected to development.
One to three minutes later, resultant prints are discharged from the automatic photographic processor apparatus.
As the prints are discharged, they are directly received by the client who has been waiting.
Commonly, the printing paper feeder device in a known automatic photographic processor apparatus is provided with a single roll of printing paper (127 mm wide, 50 m long) for producing a number of prints.
Also, the booth in which the automatic photographic processor apparatus is installed includes outer walls covered with thermal insulating materials of open-cell foam structure, a fan for ventilation, and a heater for maintaining a constant temperature in the booth by heating up in response to a temperature drop.
There is a height adjustable bench provided in the booth for allowing the client to seat and shoot an image of himself with a camera located at an opposite position. However, as the positioning of himself to the camera is limited, the client is not allowed to check for framing or the like. An improved modification of the known automatic photographic processor apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 6-110127 (1994). The modification allows each image produced by an imaging means such as a camera to be transferred to a central processing unit where it is processed to appear on a screen an optical axis of which coincides with the optical axis of the imaging means by a half mirror located across a bisector line between the imaging means and mirror. Also, the central processing unit produces control data from the image to drive a photographic printing means, e.g. a printer, for completing optimum prints.
The known automatic photographic processor apparatus produces a predetermined number of identical prints of a desired size from one single image and discharges them through a discharge outlet. Actually, the overall size of each print is slightly larger than the desired size. This requires the client to remove a marginal section by cutting with scissors or a cutter to have the prints of the desired size. Accordingly, the known automatic photographic processor apparatus has some drawbacks.
For example, the known automatic photographic processor apparatus contains 50 (printing) paper sheets and a cartridge of ink ribbon (for printing 100 sheets) which should be replenished every few days. It is difficult and costly to repeat replenishment (including a maintenance routine) for (printing) paper and ink ribbon on a plurality of the automatic photographic processor apparatuses. To make matters worse, the automatic photographic processor apparatuses are different in consumption of the paper sheets. The replenishment task will thus be carried out on time with difficulty.
In practice, the automatic photographic processor apparatuses are inspected by service personnel periodically (once a month or 15 days) who systematically replaces the existing (printing) paper with a new roll while replenishing a developer agent. As the existing roll of printing paper is replaced regardless of its remaining length, it will never be consumed entirely during a common service period. The periodical replacement is hence uneconomical. Another drawback is that the automatic photographic processor apparatus cannot be used during the replacement of the roll thus leaving a possible client waiting.
The booth of the known automatic photographic processor apparatus includes outer walls of open-cell foamed thermal insulating material which is substantially high in ventilating capability but low in insulating efficiency, thus hardly maintaining optimum operational conditions of the automatic photographic processor apparatus. The fan for ventilation in the booth is rarely capable of keeping the temperature in the booth to a constant level because the temperature should be different between an upper region (higher) and a lower region (lower) of the booth. This will limit the location of relevant devices of the automatic photographic processor apparatus in the booth. If the booth is placed outside and exposed to intense sunlight during the summer, its temperature will abruptly rise above the limit level and seriously affect the development of prints. It is extremely difficult to ensure stable operations of any thermally sensitive digital image processor under such a highly unstable temperature condition in the booth.
As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, the known automatic photographic processor apparatus employs a half mirror 101' located across a bisector line for coinciding the optical axis 102a' of an imaging means 102' with the optical axis 103a' of a screen 103'. In case of a passport photo which is a type of identification photograph and strictly regulated regarding location and size of an object face and overall dimensions, the face is always shot from a lower angle and its image appears facing above but not straight.
Furthermore, a group of the prints produced and discharged from the automatic photographic processor apparatus have to be separated by the client cutting with scissors or a cutter. As will be understood, the cutting to an identical size is not easy while balance between upper, lower, left, and right sides is maintained. It generally happens that the prints when separated are unbalanced relative to each other or the overall dimensions are decreased due to overtrimming in a series of cutting operations.
It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the foregoing drawbacks by providing an automatic photographic processor apparatus in which a plurality of cartridges are loaded in a storage and systematically used one by one for enabling a non-stop long-run operation without the need of manual service.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper feeder device for use in an automatic photographic processor apparatus in which each roll of printing or thermal transfer paper can be used up to its trailing end without loss and replaced with a new, unused roll without stopping the operation of the automatic photographic processor apparatus.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an outdoor installation booth for an automatic photographic processor apparatus capable of being installed at any place such as an outside location where it is exposed to direct sunlight while preventing an automatic shooting device mounted in the apparatus from being affected by a change in the ambient temperature.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an object image capturing mechanism for use in an automatic photographic processor apparatus in which the face of an object client is shot directly from the front with a camera level with the eyes of the client, thus avoiding a low angle shot.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an identification photograph strip with cutline markings and an automatic photographic processor apparatus for producing the identification photograph strip with cutline markings in which an identification photo print is instantly produced at lower cost and easily separated from the strip by cutting with a cutter or the like to a desired size without impairing its proportional balance.